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Large, full-color posters stood on easels around the walkway and foyer of the Islamic Community Center of Laurel (ICCL)’s Fundraising dinner Sunday evening, entrancing attendees. Beautiful and ambitious, the clean lines, bright green trees and a shining new building were presented from different angles. A new lane connected the original parking to the newly completed large parking lot to complete a circle around the beautiful expanded masjid.There were over 450 people present at the dinner held on Sunday, March 25th. Attendants were welcomed at the registration table with badges and gift pens with the ICCL logo on it. They were then escorted to the foyer area for appetizers as they mingled with other guests. The atmosphere was filled with excitement as men, women and children greeted friends and exclaimed over the posters showing the new plans for their masjid.

The program started off with entertainment from ICCL Academy’s students performing nasheeds and songs. The evening program was topped off with an amazing rendition of the nasheed ‘The Heart of a Muslim’ by Br. Masihullah Bhaiyat and a breathtaking call to prayer (adhaan) by Br. Abu Bakr Lamin.

The keynote speaker, Imam Abdullah Madyun, from Masjid ul-Ihsan in Chicago, spoke about giving sincerely for the sake Allah. He encouraged attendees to give with their heart, in open and in secret.

The community raised over $300,000 in cash and pledges for 2012, and over $500,000 in pledges over 5 years. Other members donated gold jewelry, an iPad and an umrah package, which were auctioned off for handsome amounts. Some items, like the iPad, were returned to the auction after heavy bidding, to be auctioned off again. This spirit of giving in the way of Allah was apparent throughout the event.

The President of ICCL, Br. Hayder Qaadri, presented the plans saying, “As someone who has been around since the masjid was first opened, seeing the pictures just brought tears to my eyes. To see where we came from, and how the community has grown – it is just amazing.” He outlined the needs of the community and stressed that the current classes, the ICCL Academy, and other programs have all been stretched to the limit. “We want to do more, we just need the space to accommodate it,” he said.

Brother Yaqeen Hasan, Chairman of the Board of Directors, also took to the stage to give thanks and encouragement. “It was truly heartwarming and humbling by the grace of Allah to see the support and involvement that the community supplied towards the expansion project at the fund raising dinner.”

With fresh funds in hand, the Islamic Community Center of Laurel is ready to submit the architectural drawings for engineering plans, and then onto the county to receive the permit to start construction.

For more information and to donate towards the masjid expansion, please visit www.icclmd.org or call 301-317-4584.